Lemon and Mint
by dreamydark
Summary: Another visit to Arthur's house. And another set of bruises. FrUK


**...this fic has...issues.**

**It's not the content really...I'm actually quite satisfied with how this turned out but...  
the fact that someone _stole_ it kinda ticks me off...  
That's an understatement...I'm literally boiling over with rage...well, I was. Now I'm just mildly annoyed. But still mad. ithinkIjustcontradictedmyselfbutwhatever**

** So here's the story...this was originally posted on my deviantART (you can find the link on my profile) in December...and then in March, I see a copy here. I think you can guess how I felt... what makes me even more mad is that the thing's still up there and not removed. So now, in May, I finally get an account here, and post this. I suppose that makes me seem like the thief, since the copy was posted 2 months earlier on this site...but I originally posted this fic on another site even before that...**

**...basically, my point is...please don't say I stole it from that guy (the thief's penname is 'Fluffy fanfictions of doom'. Or something like that...thatpersonmakesmesomadIwanttosmashsomething now) ****Because he/she stole it from me. Yeah...if you don't believe me you can check my deviantART...**

**...I'm sorry you had to sit through the rant, but I'm a little mad...  
anyway...**

**Hetalia (c) Himaruya  
I hope you enjoy the fic~**

* * *

"Mm, you smell like tea, _lapin_."

Arthur looked up from the book he was reading into the eyes of a certain Frenchman who was currently hovering right above his face. "...What?"

"You smell like tea," he repeated. "Earl Grey, I zhink, your favorite?"

"Tea? ...you know what, I'm not even going to try and understand you." England went back to his book, but looked up soon after, irritated that he was disturbed again. Francis had decided that for whatever reason he was going to continue bothering England, and sat down right next to him. The armchair they were in was fairly large, so they weren't squished together (Arthur shuddered at the thought) but France was sitting a little too close for comfort.

(Even if Francis was a million _light-years_ away it would still be too close for comfort, but this was pushing it.)

Arthur tried to ignore him and turned away, trying to concentrate on the book in front of him. It was one of his favorites, so there was no reason for him to be distracted—"Ever heard of personal space, Frog?" Francis had scooted closer to him and thrown his arm around Arthur, pulling him even closer to him.

"_Oui_. I believe it is a concept invented by poor, prudish Englishmen who 'ave absolutely no taste—"

"Good taste, my arse! What does that have to do with personal space!"

"—and 'orrendous caterpillar-brows—"

"My eyebrows are just fine, you git! You're the one with hair so long that you look like a bloody _female_—"

_"—slayer of virgins—"_

"Now that's it. You're just begging for this aren't you?" England pushed France's hand off his waist and stood up. He closed his book gently, then muttered a quick apology to its author. Francis looked amused at his devotion to an inanimate object.

What happened next was not as amusing to Francis (though it seemed to amuse Arthur quite a bit)

_Aïe_! _Dieu_, my head!" He cradled his head carefully with one hand and delicately felt the left side of his forehead, where England had hit him. The book was a thick, hardcover collection of almost all of the Sherlock Holmes stories (Arthur had some of the original copies, but he didn't read them much in fear of damaging them) and, _merde_, that hurt.

France grimaced as bolts of pain shot through his skull, and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. It wasn't that bad (he was a nation, you got used to pain after a few wars and rebellions) but the smaller nation was a lot stronger than he looked.

(Especially if it had anything to do with someone very..._French_)

He stayed there, breathing steadily and trying to ignore the pain. He barely noticed when Arthur sat back down next to him.

"Hey, Frog."

Francis cracked one eye open. "_Oui?_" he asked hesitantly.

"Move."

"..._Quoi_?"

"Move your hand. So I can see," he clarified.

"Oh..._d'accord_." France lifted his hand and looked up, slightly confused.

England held his head and slowly turned France around until they were facing each other. He brushed some stray stands of hair away from his face, and softly touched the already-darkening bruise. France winced slightly. "That looks like it hurts."

He nodded. "It does. Kiss it better?" He leaned forward slightly, curious to see what England's reaction would be.

Surprisingly, Arthur took his joke seriously. He brushed his lips against the Francis's forehead, so light he barely felt it. When he pulled back, his entire face was colored with an adorable blush. "I-I should get some...ice. Stay here." England got up hurriedly and started towards the kitchen.

France was slightly shocked, but his expression turned into a smile when he realized what just happened. England came back, his blush toned down somewhat. "I love 'ow you can be so..._motherly_ sometimes." He suddenly got up and glomped Arthur before he could protest. "_Tu es trop mignon_!"

"S-shut up, Frog!" he spluttered out. "And get _off_ me!" He pushed Francis so he lost his balance and fell back into the armchair. "You _want_ to be hit again? I always knew you were a masochist but..." England held up the book threateningly.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Ah, _non_, I'm fine."

"Good. Now, let me see that." He bent down a little, pressing a soft cloth soaked with ice-cold water against the French nation's forehead.

France flinched from the cold, but eventually the freezing water numbed the pain and he closed his eyes in relief. "I'm serious. You would make _une bonne mère_."

"Do I look like a girl to you?"

"_Oui_." He ignored his protests. "Now sit down," he said, moving a little and patting the spot next to him invitingly.

"It's only meant for one person...oh, fuck it." He sat down slowly, making sure to keep the cloth gently pressed against Francis's head.

"I can 'old zhat for you..."

"...fine."

The two rivals/enemies/friends/who-knows-_what_-now sat in relative peace, the only sound being their quiet breathing.

Until France moved a little closer, and placed his hand on Arthur's waist. He slowly dipped his hand lower, and lower, and—

"Do you want me to break your hand?" England had caught his wandering hand by the wrist before it could reach its intended target. Francis tried to pull his hand out of his grasp (when did the _rosbif_ get so strong?) but failed.

"_Non, s'il te plaît_." Arthur loosened his grip slightly, allowing Francis to pull his hand out. He shook it, trying to get some feeling back in. "_Mon Angleterre _is so mean…" he pouted. "First, you try to give me a concussion—"

"That would be a problem if you even _had_ a brain to begin with—"

"—and zhen you almost broke my arm! Attacking an injured, defenseless man like zhat…"

"Injured? That was barely anything! And I'd hardly call you defenseless…you are a nation." France didn't respond. "Hey, wine bastard, you listening?" He ignored him and turned away. "You're still sulking?" No answer. "If you think ignoring me is going to do anything then…France?" England was getting slightly worried. He shook France's shoulders, trying to get a response. "You git, look at me!"

Francis turned around suddenly, and pulled Arthur into a tight embrace, nuzzling his neck. The cloth fell from his forehead. "You're so…_adorable_ when you're worried like zhat—_très mignon_!"

"You idiot, let me go!" He found his arms trapped. "I should never have helped you…"

"_Angleterre_? Are you angry with me?"

He blushed nervously. "I should be…you disturbed me when I was in the middle of reading peacefully…but I guess I already hit you enough…"

"You didn't answer zhe question, _mon petit chou_."

"I-I'm not your…cabbage? What the hell?"

"You're still avoiding it, _mon cher_."

"I-I'm not too angry…but I still don't like it—a-and I still hate you, Frog!" England gave up on trying to push France away.

"_Japon_ was right, you really are a _tsundere_." He seemed to be talking to himself.

"What language are you speaking now, wino?" _I think I've heard Japan use that word before..but that can't be right... _"We're in my house, so speak English properly!"

"_D'ac, d'ac_," he said, deliberately using French to annoy England even further. "So does zhat mean I can stay 'ere like zhis?" he asked, gesturing to the way his head was resting on Arthur's shoulder.

"Of course not! Leave this instant!"

"Aw, you don't _really_ mean zhat, right _chaton_?"

"Actually, I do. Now sod off." France pretended not to hear him.

"You're so warm, _Angleterre_." He buried his nose into the crook of Arthur's neck and the Englishman flinched. "_Quoi_?"

"Y-your nose is _cold_, Frog!"

"_Ouais, je sais_. Zhat's why I'm 'ere, _non_?" France breathed in deeply. "You really do smell like zhat Earl Grey tea you are so fond of. With a little somezhing else…it's like your own personal perfume." Arthur fidgeted uncomfortably, determined not to let the Frenchman figure out how much his actions were bothering him. That was until he felt something…wet…and warm…

France fell off the armchair from the force of the blow. "You—you—what the bloody hell did you think you were _doing_?" he demanded, disgusted.

Francis smiled weakly and clutched his stomach. "Licking, _bien sûr_." When Arthur had realized exactly what Francis was doing, he had immediately elbowed him in the stomach.

"That's not—it's—and why would you…do somethinglikethat?" He stumbled over his words.

"To see how you taste, silly _Anglais_." Arthur blushed even deeper at the implications of that sentence. "Tea…with a bit of lemon and mint. It's nice…and refreshing." He stood up, wincing a little. "It seems zhis always 'appens when I visit you. Do you do zhis to all your guests? And I zhought you said you were a gentleman."

"You were uninvited and very unwelcome. That hardly makes you a guest. Now if you would kindly take your leave…" He stood up, ready to force Francis out if need be.

France left the room, making England believe that he was finally gone for good. But then he came back, looking slightly pale, and placed a hand on his heart dramatically. "_Non_! I cannot!"

"Why not?" _Let's see what excuses the Frog can come up with this time._

He pointed accusingly at the window. "See?"

Arthur seemed indifferent. "It's raining. So?"

"Rain? Zhat's not just _pluie, mon ami anglais, c'est un orage_!" He flailed his arms frantically. This time, he wasn't just being dramatic; there was actually lightning and thunder outside. "I'll die if I try to go outside in zhese conditions!"

England sighed. "You're a nation, you can't die…fine. You can stay in the guest room, if and only if you promise to not do anything."

He was suddenly tackled to the ground by France. "_Merci, merci beaucoup_!" He got up, realizing that he had pinned England to the floor. (Normally, he would've stayed there like that, but there was always the risk of getting kicked out into the storm.) "Ah, can I ask you one more favor?"

"What?" Arthur was clearly annoyed.

"Can I 'ave some ice?" Francis pointed to the dark bruise on his forehead. The pain had faded a little into a dull throbbing, but it still hurt.

"Fine." He got up, and took France's hand in his own, pulling him towards the kitchen.

Francis didn't argue, and instead stared at where their hands were entwined together, feeling strangely warm with his heart fluttering.

_Is this what love feels like?_

* * *

**the ending was not supposed to be like that...I really can't end fics properly**

**so...translations-**

**aïe- ouch  
dieu- god  
quoi?- what?  
d'accord- okay (d'ac is the short/slang form...I think...)  
tu es trop mignon!- you're too cute!  
une bonne mère- a good mother  
rosbif- roastbeef/slang for Englishman  
s'il te plaît- please (informal)  
très mignon- very cute  
mon petit chou- my little cabbage (French endearments...I will never understand them...)  
cher- dear  
chaton- kitten  
ouais, je sais- yeah, I know  
bien sûr- of course  
anglais- Englishman  
pluie- rain  
mon ami anglais- my English friend  
c'est un orage!- it's a storm!**

**Reviews are love~**


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